New heart provides fresh start for Barryville teen

By SANDY LONG

BARRYVILLE, NY — Things are looking anything but grim for an Eldred High School teen after receiving a new heart on Friday, September 22.

Thirteen-year-old Emily Grimm was taken to the emergency room at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis on September 17, after her feet began to swell unexpectedly. Even more alarming was Emily’s heart rate, which climbed to 170 beats per minute, according to her father, Bob Grimm.

Following a transfer to Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, NJ, Emily was transferred to New York-Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, in New York City. Ultimately, it was determined that she suffers from a form of heart disease called Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (RC).

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle that tends to be progressive and to worsen quickly, often resulting in the need for heart transplantation. There are various forms of the disease, including RC, which is very rare in the United States. It is a disease in which the walls of the heart’s ventricles stiffen and become rigid due to infiltration by abnormal tissue, forcing the heart to pump at increased pressure.

Symptoms are similar to those of congestive heart failure—fatigue, breathlessness, weakness, swelling of the lower extremities, bloating, nausea and poor appetite.

“Emily’s always been really tiny,” said her father. “She’s never been very athletic, but she’s just outstanding academically. Now we’re thinking that her small size might be due to this disorder.”

While resting from various tests, Emily learned that a donor heart had become available. The transplant took place on September 22. “All we know right now is that it came from somewhere down south. Eventually, we’ll find out who, but we’re just so thankful for that person,” said Bob.

“She’s doing very, very well,” said her father, who has been “camped out” at the hospital throughout the process. Emily’s brothers, Bobby and Brian, have visited her at the hospital and her many friends are eager to have her come home.

Based upon her outstanding recovery so far, her doctors estimate that she will return home in approximately two weeks. Meanwhile, well-wishers can send greetings to Emily at New York-Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, 3959 Broadway, NYC, 10032. A fund to help the family defray medical expenses has been established at the Eldred branch of the First National Bank of Jeffersonville. Checks should be made payable to “The Fund for Emily Grimm.”